Pfizer has tossed its estimated $75 million assignment for Zyrtec, an anti-allergy drug, into review three months after the product's advertising received a top industry award.

The drug giant late last week made a first cut of potential new agencies, executives close to the situation said. The shops will meet with Pfizer later this month or early in June.

A decision is expected sometime in July or August.

A sternly worded Pfizer document warned ad agencies not to speak publicly about the review. However, Vanessa McGowan, Pfizer's manager of pharmaceutical communications, confirmed that a hunt for a new creative shop is under way.

Ms. McGowan said a desire to move the account to a general consumer agency from healthcare-only HMC did not factor into the decision to launch a review. But executives close to the situation said Pfizer is targeting large New York-based agencies.

Zyrtec is No. 2 in the $2 billion anti-allergy prescription market, with $355 million in 1998 sales, behind Claritin with $1.1 billion, according to consultancy IMS Health. Allegra was third with $324 million in sales.

According to first-quarter earnings reports of all three marketers, Zyrtec's second-place position could be slipping. Hoechst reported U.S. sales of Allegra at $139 million, ahead of Zyrtec's $126 million. Both were far behind Claritin's $565 million.

Ms. McGowan, however, said product sales did not play a role in the decision to launch the agency review. Pfizer has reported Zyrtec's first-quarter sales were